


And when it hits, it hits you hard.

by xxx_cat_xxx



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gen, Hurt Tony Stark, Sadness, This is very short, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, fanfic drabble
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-06-09 21:30:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15276585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxx_cat_xxx/pseuds/xxx_cat_xxx
Summary: Tony returns to earth after Infinity War.





	And when it hits, it hits you hard.

**Author's Note:**

> Just a drabble that appeared in my head from one moment to the other. Much shorter than my other works.

Pepper waits outside the tower in the sun that´s shining bright as if nothing had happened, as if the whole world wasn´t a mess somewhere at point infinite on the scale of fuckedupness.

She doesn´t say anything when Tony stumbles out of the car and hugs her, and neither does he. The man who has never missed to deliver a punchline, not even in the most adverse situations of his life, has finally run out of words. He feels his fingers trembling around the slim frame of hers that he has missed so much, and then he can´t breathe anymore. 

He holds onto her for dear life while he has a full-on breakdown. Pepper is just there, the steady presence in his life she has always been, one more precious thing he doesn´t deserve.

He would like to be able to say that it helps to cry, to let it all out, but it doesn´t. It doesn´t reverse the things that have happened. It doesn´t ease his own guilt, doesn´t erase his terrible failure. It doesn´t bring Peter back to life. All it does is increase his headache.

He allows himself five minutes of it, of weeping and sobbing till he nearly chokes, of letting down the façade he´s maintained during the whole flight back to earth. Then he stops, because the knowledge that he is allowed the selfish priviledge of mourning while Peter can´t even do that anymore is too much to bear.

He straightens up in Pepper´s grip, attempts the impossible of somehow scraping together the pieces he was broken into on that god-damn moon. There´s work to do.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on tumblr at [xxx-cat-xxx.tumblr.com](https://xxx-cat-xxx.tumblr.com/)


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